What a wild ride it's been at Lego.  First in mid-2006 Bill told us about their initial decisions to outsource manufacturing. The only trick the ponies from McKinsey know is outsourcing, which is exactly what [CEO] Jørgen Vig Knudstorp did.  The work in the U.S. plant in Connecticut is being sent...

In this weeks edition of 5 Questions we meet Karen Wilhelm of the Lean Reflections blog. -------- 1.  Who are you, what organization are you with, and what are your current lean-oriented activities? Karen Wilhelm, freelance writer and editor with particular expertise in lean thinking and manufactur...

Yes, there must have been a conference I missed, because out of the blue I've been deluged with official letters from customers, large and small, that align nearly perfectly into two categories.  The first is a desire to change payment terms from Net 30 to Net 60, and generally includes colorful an...

I recently came across a news article on how Fort Dodge, Iowa, population 27,000, has decided to dive into lean government.  There were a lot of good points in the article, reinforcing that this particular town government is a bit more enlightened than most... including our own federal government. ...

Yes it happened again.  Just like last March and the prior July, it was time for a break.  Fast.  You see, I'm one of those types that will run hard professionally, personally, emotionally, and physically... right up to a wall.  And then realize the instant before hitting the wall that I better ...

Several readers have asked for more information on some of the lean manufacturing and business transformation thought leaders that we occasionally reference.  So beginning today we'll be doing a roughly weekly feature called "5 Questions" where we'll introduce you to some of them via a similar shor...

Yesterday at 5pm GM and Chrysler submitted their turnaround plans required as a result of accepting a partial bailout (oh, sorry, "loans") from the government several weeks ago. General Motors and Chrysler LLC said Tuesday they could need an additional $21.6 billion in federal loans between them bec...

It's always a pleasure to see an article make it's own point... especially when it is contradictory to the premise of the article itself.  Take, for example, a recent article on how companies are trying to streamline inventories in the face of the economic downturn. The economic downturn is hitting...

Executive pay, especially so-called "excessive" executive pay, is once again getting quite a bit of press. Companies that receive bailout funds have pay restrictions placed on them as part of the package, although that still doesn't prevent them from buying new jets. On one hand I think companies, ...

Over the past several years we've been pounding on Detroit for building absurd amounts of excess capacity, often in response to how a "sale" is counted.  It really shouldn't be that hard: do some basic future planning and create and adjust plans as necessary.  Unfortunately, beginning many many ye...